Boston College RB AJ Dillon aspires to be best, help Eagles vie for an ACC title

Boston College running back AJ Dillon, center, carries the ball during the first half of the game against Florida State in Boston in 2017. Dillon enters his junior spring looking to be the best he can be while helping lead the Eagles to a possible ACC championship. (Michael Dwyer / AP)

Like many of us, Boston College’s AJ Dillon has a sweet tooth. But when the junior running back decided to refocus his energy this spring into becoming one of the best college football players in the country, those sugary treats were the first things to go.

“I love the sweets. I love junk food like everybody does but at the same time you have to work out what’s worth sacrificing,” Dillon said of his decision to cut out unnecessary sugar in his diet.

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It’s a choice Dillon shared with running backs coach Brian White and head coach Steve Addazio when he sat down with them at the beginning of spring to discuss his goals this season.

“I told them I had the mindset that when I come into this season, I want to be the greatest player ever. I want to be the best that’s ever played at Boston College. I want to be the best in the country next year. I want all of those things,” Dillon said of the conversation. “They sat down and looked me in the eyes and said those things are achievable but there are a lot of things you’re going to have to sacrifice.”

The sacrifice is worth it to Dillon who wants to be able to participate in every rep in practice while having the ability to go all-out at every turn.

It seems as if the 6-foot, 250-pounder has been going full-bore since arriving at the school as a 3-star prospect from New London, Conn., in 2017. Dillon was named ACC Rookie of the Year after finishing with 1,589 rushing yards and 14 touchdowns his freshman year. He followed it up by rushing for 1,108 yards and 10 touchdowns in 10 appearances last season, becoming the first player in school history to rush for over 1,000-yards in each of his first two seasons.

But while individual success is nice, Dillon said he would trade it all for a conference title.

“I’d much rather we win the ACC championship than me have 2,000 yards,” said Dillon. “I would trade that any day. I would rather we win the national championship than me win the Heisman [Trophy].

“For me when I say I want to be the best it’s less about comparing myself to somebody else like Andre Williams or Doug Flutie, it’s more about me knowing I’ve reached that maximum potential or as close as I can get to that maximum potential of where I want to be this year.”

Dillon spoke with the Orlando Sentinel about this spring, how he hopes to fit into the team’s new offensive system and being his toughest critic. Here is an abbreviated version of his conversation:

You have a new offensive coordinator in Mike Bajakian. What have you seen from his offensive system this spring?

AJ Dillon: “I see us being a lot more explosive than we have been. We have a lot of returning talent. For instance, my freshman year, a freshman led every category in rushing, passing, receiving and so now all three of us are juniors and we have a lot of depth. I’m excited. He’s implementing a lot of different calls. He’s getting the backs implemented more in the pass game which I’m excited about. I’ve been working a lot on being a sound pass protector, just being an all-purpose back.”

Is there anything specific you’re working on this spring?

Dillon: “You see all of these guys at pro days. I saw these guys preparing for the NFL Scouting Combine. So I tried to watch them and see how they were getting critiqued running back-wise. And the big things were obviously running the ball but also: Can you catch the ball? Can you pass protect? At the next level you need to be able to do it all. Obviously, I didn’t get as many catches as I wanted last year, I think we're going to work into the game plan a lot more opportunities for me to get the ball not only from the backfield but in the slot and different positions and formations, which I'm excited about.”

Dillon: “I know a big question mark for a lot of people is our offensive line because you’ve got Chris Lindstrom, who’s been killing it at the combine and pro day; Aaron Montiero and a lot of guys leaving the offensive line. Chris’ younger brother Alex has moved over to play center, and he's become a leader as well as some of the other guys on the line. The entire line as a group, they've come into their own. We're starting to see some real depth there and camaraderie and they're going to keep working and growing and be ready to compete as one of the best lines in the ACC.

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“BC is known for running the ball, our offensive line and our defense and our defense is playing lights out against us in spring ball. We’ve got a lot going on over there. Like I hinted at earlier with Coach Bajakian, he’s done a lot of new things with our offense and sometimes when people come in and do new things, it means things were not necessarily great but he’s been hitting the nail right on the head. The outcome has been great for a lot of the stuff he’s been putting in. Everybody is buying into the scheme so it’s looking promising. I'm kind of excited to see how it plays out.”

Are you a tough critic of yourself?

Dillon: “I'd say I'm one of the more critical people on myself than a lot of people I've been around. You mentioned that 1,000-yard seasons the last two years and to me last year was nothing close to what I wanted it to be. Granted, I was hurt from Week 4 on but to me when I look back at last season; I see so much meat left on the bone. Those 1,000-yard seasons I feel like I should have done way more than I did. I watch our practice films the second I get back to my room right before class and I write down everything I need to work on. I genuinely have a desire to be the best.”